Linda Quintana of All Star Tamales talks about her new factory and retail outlet

As All Star Tamales approaches its 10-year anniversary (!), owner Linda Quintana is looking ahead to the next decade.

An established presence at farmers’ markets across the Bay Area, All Star Tamales is currently in three markets (Civic Center, Alemany, Old Oakland) and also has a deal with the Berkeley Unified School District.

Quintana has operated out of a Pittsburg kitchen since All Star’s inception, where they make thousands of tamales a week. But she’s soon moving to greener pastures, also in Pittsburg. “The price is right” in Pittsburg, she says, even compared to her hometown of Hayward.

She’s purchased the 1,800 square foot building at 510 Garcia Avenue, just a stone’s throw from the Railroad Avenue BART extension. Not only will the new factory allow her to expand production (All Star Tamales currently makes its own chorizo, and is flirting with making tortillas as well), but there’s room for a retail space.

Once everything is up and running — maybe three months — expect an All Star Tamales storefront, serving breakfast and lunch. Beyond that, Quintana hopes to branch out into wholesale tamales, provide more for East Bay school districts, and even unveil tamale carts throughout the Bay Area, starting with a pair close to her headquarters.

She says it’s been quite a ride, since starting a decade ago.

“I did it because I didn’t have a job,” Quintana says. “It was a dare that I couldn’t do it — and I did it.”